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Jethro Tull - Songs from the Wood CD (album) cover

SONGS FROM THE WOOD

Jethro Tull

 

Prog Folk

4.21 | 1663 ratings

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SouthSideoftheSky
Special Collaborator
Symphonic Team
3 stars Join the chorus if you can, it'll make of you an honest man

Songs From The Wood was an improvement over the previous Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, Too Young To Die, but it is not as good as the two albums that came after it, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch, in my opinion. As much as I love Jethro Tull and this album, I cannot help but to feel that this album is a bit overrated in relation to several other Jethro Tull albums. I have always found Songs From The Wood to be a bit too cheerful and "whimsical". Indeed, it reminds me of Gentle Giant (which is not a bad thing, though) sometimes, especially on the title track with its complex a cappella vocals.

I also think that the material here - though very strong for the most part - is certainly not among Ian's very best. The longest track Pibroch (Cap In Hand) with its over eight minutes tend to drag slightly and you get a bit tired of it before it is over. I also think that Ring Out, Solstice Bells is slightly out of place here since it is something of a Christmas song, or is it? The rest of the album is very good, as I said, but I have always preferred Heavy Horses and Stormwatch over Songs From The Wood. While those later albums bring me to exciting places, Songs From The Wood tends to bring me to the same forest where the hare lost his spectacles. And that is not my favourite place to be!

The sound on most songs here are less Hard Rock than those later albums I mentioned, but also compared with earlier efforts like Minstrel In The Gallery or Thick As A Brick.

A very good but somewhat overrated album, still an excellent addition to any Jethro Tull collection with several essential songs

SouthSideoftheSky | 3/5 |

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